Walking around her apartment the next day, it was as if a throbbing concussion had cleared. Months of seeing double everywhere she went and all it had taken was one moment for two blurry shadows to meld into one. It should've been stranger than it was. It should have taken longer to get used to, trying to figure out where one ended and the other began, but interestingly enough, it wasn't. Not a single thing about it was strange.
The second he had gingerly pulled her mask away and leaned in, everything in her had just settled. Warm and content, like curling around a fire after days spent searching for home out in the cold.
Dick was Nightwing and Nightwing was Dick and Percy couldn't stop thinking about the way he had said her name, full of relief and soft awe and deep-seated familiarity. The memory made her skin tingle.
Her phone vibrated noisily against the marble countertop of the kitchen, startling her out of her reverie. She had set out a bowl for food, but now realized she had been staring into its empty cavity with a stupid little smile for gods knows how long. Blinking it away, Percy gave the screen a quick glance, and the expression returned, tenfold.
Before she knew it, she was rushing out of her apartment and jogging down the stairs. Maybe with anyone else, she might have tried to curb her enthusiasm, but instead, Percy pushed open the heavy glass doors with more strength than probably necessary.
"Hey Sef," Dick called out, grinning wide. He had been leaning against the brick wall of the building but straightened at the sight of her. The small paper bag in his fingers crinkled as he shook it invitingly. "Brought you lunch."
Even now, with hair swept neatly back in a somewhat professional look and that slightly creased police uniform shirt, Dick still looked like Nightwing. She knew what people always said about hindsight, but Percy had no idea how she managed to miss it for so long.
"Wing," she smiled, instinctively.
And now that she was walking to him, all she could think about was yesterday, curling her hand into the wet strands of his hair as he kissed her over and over again, only pausing to laugh because she had unknowingly caused the water level to swell until it began to spill over onto the docks. Percy's ears warmed as Dick took a few steps forward to meet her halfway.
"You probably shouldn't call me that out in public," he teased. There was a thread of sincerity in his voice, but he hardly seemed concerned.
Percy pouted. "You started it."
Dick's lips quirked, almost smug, and he shook his head lightly.
"Seph," he corrected, "With a 'ph'."
Her jaw dropped. "That's not fair," she argued, "It sounds the same!"
He didn't even respond, just continued to smirk, looking so utterly self-satisfied that Percy wanted to wipe the expression off of him.
Oh, she realized, the thought taking a second to hit her, she could do that now.
Percy gripped under the knot of his tie and gently tugged him in, closing the distance between them. There wasn't a single shred of resistance, just a soft, surprised breath cut short as she kissed him deeply. Finally pulling back, satisfied for now, though she doubted she would ever get enough, Percy returned his teasing smile.
"Now that's not fair," Dick breathed, sounding as far from upset as possible.
She could see a slight flush crawling up from under the collar of his shirt. The ring of blue around his pupils had shrunk. Realizing what she had done, out in the middle of the city sidewalk, Percy dropped her hold on the tie and tried to take a step back, but Dick's fingers tightened around her hips, not letting her pull away further. She glanced down at them, not even registering when he had placed them there, and snorted.
Dick blinked at her, confused and maybe still a little dazed. Percy grinned back at him.
"You dropped my food."
LINEBREAK
The air was unusually harsh today, stinging wind blowing through the trees and whipping branches into submission. An especially strong gust swept past them, making Dick's shoulders hunch further forward into his chest. Beside him, Percy curled into the jacket she had run back into the building to put on and took another bite of her burrito. It seemed like spilling the pastries he had originally bought was a blessing, because the warmth of his own wrap bled into his fingers through the tinfoil, the only uncovered patch of skin besides his face.
"And those Canadians?" he asked, "I'm assuming they were actually monsters?"
Percy hummed. "Laistrygonians. Cannibal giants," she explained, making him glance sideways.
Her being Perseus and vice versa was the easiest thing in the world to get used to, but the constant reminders of the vicious monsters living hidden amongst them were going to take a little while.
"Bad at naming their children, but surprisingly good at dodgeball," she continued.
"I still can't believe you reported that," he huffed, a small visible breath leaving him.
She laughed. "You asked me to."
"The look on Rohrbach's face when I told her I was putting a bolo out for anyone going by Skin Peeler," Dick groaned, "I was seconds away from permanent meter duty, I swear."
"Again, whose fault is that? 'I think you should report what happened tonight'," Percy mocked, lowering the tone of her voice and widening her eyes cartoonishly.
"I don't sound like that," he protested, tossing the leftover wrapper in a trash can.
"'Talk to the police.'"
"Oh, come on—"
"'I'll know if you don't.'"
"Percy," Dick pleaded and if it weren't so cold, his face would've been burning.
She dropped the act, breaking into a fit of laughter as she crumpled the remainder of her tinfoil into a little ball. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she said, still smiling, "It's just funny, you sounded so worried at the time."
"That's because I was," he said, rolling his eyes, "You were alone and injured in some alley at night, did you think I would just let it go after you tried to lie about it?"
"Oh my gods," she huffed, "It was one tiny cut, I was fine."
Dick laughed, sneaking a glance at her face, even though he didn't need to pretend anymore. His smile shifted into something softer as he reached out with his fingers, pulling half of an orange leaf from the strands of her hair. Another one, brilliantly red, drifted down and Dick watched it settle into the fold between her jacket and neck before picking it out. Percy paused in her step to let him, eyes bright as they traced the movements of his arm.
"How much longer is your lunch break?" she asked.
"As long as you want it to be."
Percy shoved him lightly, or at least, he thought it was supposed to be gentle. Instead, he briefly stumbled and when he righted himself, grinning, her lips were pulled back in an embarrassed smile.
"You can only say shit like that because you have a rich dad," she snorted, then continued when he raised a questioning eyebrow, "Who'll support you when you're finally fired."
Dick couldn't even argue with that one. "Are you saying gods aren't rich?"
"The closest thing to money my dad's given me is a sand dollar," Percy snickered.
He laughed, and though it sounded like a joke, he had come to identify that almost sheepish tone to mean she was being completely serious.
"Twenty minutes," he admitted, reluctantly, "I can take another fifteen, but that might be stretching it."
Percy slipped her hand into his, a stinging shock of warmth in the harsh wind.
"It's okay, we've got time to enjoy the peace, right?" she said, making Dick's heart swell to a size too big to fit within his chest, "How about coffee?"
LINEBREAK
Percy hadn't thought it through enough, hadn't thought about it at all, actually. So when she swung open the glass door, stepped inside, and saw Brenda's gaze zero in their clasped hands, she had no one to blame but herself.
"This is a new development," the woman commented mildly, as they approached the counter, though her narrowed eyes told an entirely different story.
The look Brenda gave the two of them made Percy laugh nervously and let go of his hand to bring hers to the back of her neck.
"Yeah, very new."
Dick glanced briefly between the two of them, before putting on a friendly smile.
"Now you have to consider me a friend."
"I have less of an inclination to befriend you than before," Brenda said dryly. "How exactly did this happen, because just a few days ago, you saw him," she continued, pointing a pen from her to Dick, "and nearly had a mental breakdown. What did you do, Grayson?"
Dick looked taken aback for a fraction of a second before guilt crossed his face. Percy immediately disliked that expression on him, especially when he actually hadn't done anything at all.
"Nothing happened, it was just a misunderstanding. My fault, really, I..." she trailed off, not having a good explanation ready.
"No," Dick cut in smoothly, "It was mine. I was going through a rough time after Blockbuster killed those cops at city hall and went radio silent, which I shouldn't have, but we talked it out."
"So did I, though, so it's not just on him," Percy added, getting two sets of exasperated looks, "Either way, we're good now, great even."
"So, you've made up your mind," Brenda said, raising an eyebrow.
Percy smiled involuntarily, looking sideways at Dick, because as it turned out, her mind had been made up since the very beginning. His eyes visibly softened.
"Yeah, I have," she said.
Brenda hummed, staring at Dick for a long moment. He nearly fidgeted under her greyish eyes but remained still until she found what she was looking for and finally spoke.
"Prison wasn't so bad the first time around, and I have no problem with going back."
Percy instantly blanched. "You've been to prison?"
Her reaction went ignored, but Dick barely seemed surprised by the admission, so maybe he had already known or suspected.
"I'll be on my best behavior," he promised, seriously.
Brenda's posture finally uncoiled, raising her hand to tap at the register, and Percy slumped her shoulders in relief as she placed her order. Dick asked for the same drink, sliding a card out from his wallet, but right before he handed it over, he paused, frowning.
"Are you sure I can't get the friends and family discount?"
LINEBREAK
A few blocks away from the precinct, Percy chugged the last of her coffee before throwing out the empty cup.
"So Brenda's a demigod, and she knows your identity but not mine," Dick summarized.
"Legacy of Athena. She also knows how much I was struggling between you and," Percy snorted, "You. She's gonna ask me later, what happened with Nightwing, so I need some kind of explanation. Should I tell her that you were in love with someone this whole time and I realized I had no chance?"
"That makes me look bad," Dick argued, but then his lips twitched into a smile, "And only half of that is true."
It was like his teasing had only gotten worse after confessing, and Percy couldn't be mad in the slightest, even if it caught her off guard each time.
"You could say you mistook your feelings for a celebrity crush," he suggested, "And we decided to just stay friends."
"Right," Percy drawled, bringing her and Dick's interlaced fingers up their faces, unsure who had reached for whose again, or when, "Because that's so believable."
"Wrong we, but you've got a point," he admitted, sheepishly, "We don't act that different with masks."
Percy thought about it for a second as they crossed the street. Her identity wasn't that closely guarded of a secret, and anyone who knew her on both sides could very easily find out Dick's if Perseus and Nightwing were publicly known to be dating.
"Honestly," she mused, "I think if you don't want the entire demigod community to know your identity, we probably shouldn't be together."
"What?" Dick asked, alarmed, stopping in the middle of the crosswalk.
The stoplight turned green, and a car honked angrily, swerving to get by them, but Dick continued to stare at her, eyes wide with horror. Percy laughed loudly, squeezing his hand tighter and pulling him back onto the sidewalk before dropping it.
"Wrong we," she repeated, "I just meant, you're gonna meet the rest of my friends at some point, and I can't introduce you both as my boyfriend."
The sigh of relief he let out was palpable. Then, however, he looked at her with such an impish smirk that it made her stomach swoop.
"Why not," he challenged, dipping his face a little closer to hers, "Nothing wrong with that. Who says I can't share?"
Percy felt herself blush instantly. "Yeah, that's not gonna fly with Annabeth," she muttered.
There was no way that she would believe Percy to be anything but painfully monogamous, especially after everything they had been through.
Dick frowned slightly, the playful expression disappearing as something more serious took over.
"I'm sorry you have to keep it from your friends," he said, brows creasing together, "I've just never met them, and I don't—it's not just me involved, the others would get pulled in too and—"
Percy paused, stepping up so they were face to face. The uncertainty in his eyes wasn't something she was used to seeing.
"Listen, I don't normally hide things from Annabeth, and I can't really promise she won't figure it out on her own, but I get it. I'd want to be honest about it eventually, though, so maybe you can get to know them first and then decide?"
The idea of lying to Annabeth and the rest of her family in the long term did somewhat fill her with dread, but she knew Dick was just protecting his own. And maybe someday in the future, there wouldn't be a distinct line between the two sides, maybe when they used the word family, it would come to mean his siblings and hers, Bruce and Sally and Paul and the rest of the seven. But she knew that would take time, and despite what her friends and teachers may have concluded about her abilities, Percy could be patient.
"Thank god," he replied, shoulders slumping as he nodded, "I trust you, obviously, but yeah, I think I'd need to meet them first, at least."
"Completely unrelated," Percy grinned, realizing that the previous conclusion about herself may have just been plain wrong, "But my parents want you over for dinner."
"Yes, completely," Dick repeated, amused, "I'd love to. But, uh, which me?"
The comforting memory of Paul's small lecture and his promise of support flashed through her mind, making Percy smile wistfully.
"They'd be happy with either," she said, then paused, and added, "But I do think Estelle has a preference."
He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly, her phone buzzed audibly, and a second later, so did his. Dick sent her an apologetic look, taking out his device to read the notification and Percy did the same. Her eyes quickly scanned the Greek words, smile growing in excitement. When she looked up, Dick had a similar expression on his face.
"Congratulations," Percy told him, "You're not getting blasted to bits today."
"And you," Dick grinned, "Have an appearance to make."
LINEBREAK
Percy fidgeted quite often, and most of the time it wasn't even because she was anxious. It was a constant restlessness, eyes glancing at entrances and exits without even realizing it. Dick had been curious at first, then growingly concerned, but now he understood. ADHD, she had explained, great for battle and monster fighting, but not so much for sitting in a chair for eight hours a day staring at a computer screen.
Dick had gotten used to it, enjoyed it even, because in the last couple of days, he had become the object of said fidgeting. When drumming her fingers absently, the back of his shoulder or his thigh replaced the usual nearby surface. While fighting criminals, it was almost inevitable that one of her limbs would brush past his, for no real tactical reason.
Right now, Percy was unusually still, hands pressed down at her sides. Though he could only see the whites of her mask, her head remained straight and focused. Dick's hand, which had previously been entering the authentication code for their destination, paused in the air.
"You don't have to be nervous," he said, glancing over, "It's okay if you are, but just remember, half of the council are just guys in tights."
Percy cracked a small smile. "Even Batman?"
"Especially him," Dick snorted, "But I'm serious. Trust me, once you see Green Lantern trip over his own construct and fall face-first into a tray of mashed potatoes, he pretty much loses any sort of intimidation factor."
"You're joking."
"League Christmas party, four years ago. Everyone's got stories like that."
Percy took a step closer, tilting her head. "Even Diana?"
"Everyone but Diana," Dick corrected.
"Oh good," she grinned, "I've got something to trade with."
He looked at her sharply, eyes wide. "You've got embarrassing Wonder Woman stories?" he asked, and she nodded smugly, "Then you'll fit in just fine."
Percy chewed her lip for a moment, smile dissolving slowly, and Dick watched her think for a minute.
"I'm not nervous of them," she said finally, "But if they don't like me, I can't join the League, and then I won't be...there for you."
His chest tightened, just a fraction, at the admission that she wasn't thinking about herself, but about him.
"They'll like you," he said, firmly, "I know they will. And if not in the first meeting, then you'll win them over, like with me."
"You didn't like me when we first met?"
Percy's tone was almost sad, but there was a slight uptick of her lips that told him she was joking. Even then, Dick's expression crumbled.
"I did, I just didn't know you—" he insisted, then paused at her poorly concealed growing smile, "I'm trying to make you feel better, Percy."
"I'm sorry," she snickered, trying to smoothen out her expression with her hand but failing, "You are. You are helping."
"My point," Dick interrupted, taking a deep breath, even if all the exasperation was fake and he was just glad her posture had loosened again, "Is that you don't even really need to be liked to join the league. That's how we get members like Booster Gold."
Percy laughed brightly, finally looking more like herself.
After making sure she was ready, Dick pressed the confirm button on the screen and took his place next to her on the phone booth platform. As the zeta tech scanned their biosignatures, Percy shifted in place, her shoulder brushing his for no real reason at all, right before the beam dispersed their molecules.
LINEBREAK
"Do I get to know where this base is?" Percy asked, glancing left and right as Dick led them through the gleaming chrome hallways.
He smirked, having been waiting for this. Gently tugging Percy toward a small detour, he jerked his chin out, gesturing behind to the place they had stopped.
"Take a look outside."
Brows slightly furrowed, Percy turned, and instantly gasped. She put both hands up on the glass and pressed her face up against it.
"That's Earth," she marveled, almost breathless, "Oh my gods, we're in space."
No matter how many times he had been here, the sight always amazed him. All that deep blue with swirling pockets of clouds, the curve of the new horizon arcing across the window. From this angle, they could only see a small section of the entire sphere, the sun a ring of light lining the edge of the planet.
"We're in space," Percy repeated, like she couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.
Dick chuckled, approaching the glass next to her. "Never gets old," he said, shaking his head lightly, "You're fine up here though?"
Percy frowned in confusion, gaze still not leaving the slowly rotating planet, but then realized.
"We're so far up, it has to be out of Zeus's domain. We're not in the sky anymore, it's space," she said again, gleefully, then grinned, "I wonder if I could—"
"If you finish that sentence we're going home."
"I was kidding, Wing, I swear." Percy turned to him, finally tearing her eyes away, lips pulled back in an impossibly wide smile.
Dick knew what she looked like behind the mask now. He knew that under the white slits, her eyes had lit up in laughter, expression still set in awe at seeing the Earth from this far out. The lines of her face gleamed, bathed in the hazy blue light of the atmosphere.
Intricately designed, cutting-edge technology didn't sway back and forth, and logically Dick knew there was no such thing as spacesick, but his stomach churned pleasantly anyways. He'd spent a lot of time looking at his home from the watchtower before. It hadn't ever felt like this.
Dick leaned forward, tilting his chin, and kissed Percy softly, just once.
"You know," she whispered, close enough that he felt her breath fan his face, "When nobody believes that we're just friends, I'm blaming you."
"Worth it," he muttered, making her smile again.
Before his stomach could twist more intensely, he straightened, trying to grasp at whatever strands of professionalism he could reach.
"Okay, you ready?"
Percy took a deep breath, looking one last time out the window wistfully, and nodded.
"Lead the way."
LINEBREAK
As soon as the heavy metal doors slid open, disappearing into the wall, the previous chattering in the room fell silent. Percy walked through, eyes flitting around at the occupants of the large U-shaped table. Not every seat was filled, but there were enough gazes set directly upon her for her to feel somewhat self-conscious.
Just guys in tights, she reminded herself, trying to catalog the people in the room.
She recognized most of them from their public appearances, the Flash, Green Arrow, Superman. Percy's lips twitched as she found Green Lantern crinkling the plastic of his water bottle in boredom. There were a few familiar faces, Diana and Orin, and now Batman and Black Canary, and a few unfamiliar, like the pair of people with large brown wings and the man near the middle with deep green skin.
Dick stayed close by as she approached the open end of the table and stopped, rocking slightly on her heels. The silence was uncomfortable, and she waited a few seconds for someone to say something, but no one did.
"So..." Percy couldn't help but start. Orin in the corner gave her an undecipherable look, and she latched on. "How many brownie points did you earn for turning me in?"
All eyes in the room flicked to the man. Beside her, Dick let out a barely audible choked laugh.
Orin's face pinched in exasperation, an unfamiliar look for his usually kingly demeanor.
"Negative, my lady," he rumbled, making Percy scowl at the title, "Your father was quite upset about your state."
"That's rough," Percy muttered, under her breath.
A sneaky glance to her side revealed Dick working hard to try and tamp down his smile.
"Perseus," Batman announced, finally taking pity on her, "We are here to vote on your induction to the league. Please list your qualifications."
Percy's eyes widened, and briefly met Diana's through the mask. She thought her cousin was going to do this part for her, but as if she could read her thoughts, the woman shook her head minutely, gesturing for Percy to speak.
"Hi, I'm Perseus," she said, raising her voice, "Daughter of Poseidon, the Greek god. I've been actively fighting for years but started as a vigilante in Bludhaven a couple of months ago."
Percy paused, unsure how much information she was actually supposed to give. Did they want her entire life chronicled out or a complete breakdown of her powers? She opened her mouth again, but then a few of the leaguers digested what her brief statement meant and turned to Diana.
"You told us the old gods were dead," Flash said, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"I did," Diana nodded, shifting forward in her seat so she could address the entire table, "I did so to protect demigods like her, but over the years, I have deemed you worthy of the secret, and with Perseus joining, I decided it was time I share the truth."
The woman on the side frowned deeply, large feathery wings shifting behind her.
"Wonder Woman, this is not how we—"
"I understand if this feels like a betrayal," Diana interrupted, not unkindly, "But I would like to point out that most of these demigods are extremely young, and do not have a long life expectancy as is, due to the monsters that hunt them down. I did not wish to expose them to further danger from our enemies. I hope I do not have to clarify that what I am sharing with you today does not leave the league."
Percy held her breath as the room mulled over those words. Most of them looked thoughtful, concerned even, but a few like the woman who spoke earlier still seemed unconvinced. Batman was as stoic as ever, but based on their previous interactions and Dick's assurance, it didn't seem to Percy like he meant any harm.
Superman was one of the people who looked worried, creasing his brows.
"How old are these children?" he asked.
Diana almost answered, but Percy cut in instead, knowing she was far more qualified on this topic.
"I found out my heritage when I was twelve, but I've seen demigods come to camp as early as five years old," she explained. Percy couldn't help the slightly bitter tone that took over her voice, and she saw several leaguers glance at each other in alarm. "Some don't even make it to camp if the monsters find them first, but we've been working hard in the last couple of years to make sure that doesn't happen anymore."
"Why only recently?" Batman narrowed his eyes.
Percy grimaced slightly at the reminder. "We were...preoccupied, with other threats. And the gods aren't really the best parents, but after the wars, we've been holding them to a higher standard."
The room erupted in chatter at her words, and maybe it was the wrong thing to say, Percy realized, hearing several exclamations about said wars and demands for details being flung around.
LINEBREAK
Dick stiffened in place. Wars, Percy had said, as in multiple.
"You're gonna explain that to me later, right?" he asked, under his breath.
When he took a step closer, pressing their shoulders together, Percy untensed and hummed a yes.
Across the room, he saw Diana and Arthur move to stand, trying to address all the questions thrown their way, but instead, Percy took a step forward.
"Guys, stop," she commanded, in an authoritative voice Dick had never heard her use before. The league fell silent, attention turning to her as if on instinct, "Yes, we've fought two wars in the last decade. Monsters only care about demigods, so our problems don't really interfere with the mortal world, but that doesn't hold the other way around. We're already hunted down in our world, and Diana didn't want to introduce more potential enemies."
Bruce's jaw ticked under the cowl. Dick knew the man was angry, but not at anyone present.
"You've fought in wars?" Oliver Queen raised his eyebrows, "You couldn't have been older than fifteen. Why not let the adults handle it?"
He wasn't trying to be condescending, Dick knew that, but his word choice didn't help, and Percy clenched her fists at her side.
"There were no adults," she gritted out, "I was sixteen when we won the first, eighteen during the next, and only a handful of demigods were older than me. We didn't have a choice back then. You either fought or you died. Some of us did both."
The following silence was profoundly somber. Dick knew death was no stranger to every member of the league. Yet the admission that there had been a whole world right under their noses where children fought and died, for no other reason than the circumstances of their birth, and they had never known about it until now was shock-inducing.
"My point is," Percy continued, tone softening, "Don't be mad at Diana. She might only be telling you because I'm a demigod who wants to join the league, but she's trusted you guys for a while now. And I know you guys don't know me, but I don't think there's anything wrong with protecting the people you care about."
Clark's face smoothed out as he nodded.
"You're right. I don't think there's anything wrong with that either. Wonder Woman may have kept a secret, but it didn't just belong to her, I see that now," he said, looking around the room.
Diana inclined her head gracefully. "Thank you, Superman."
Hal Jordan snorted. He clenched his fist, a large translucent green finger taking shape, and pointed it across the table. "Yeah, I agree too. But I know we're not just letting fish boy off the hook. Don't think I forgot about the 'my lady' comment."
Dick reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Bruce whipped his head to glare at the Green Lantern.
"No powers at the council table," he growled, and Hal shrunk back.
The rest of them still looked to Arthur expectantly, who fidgeted, picking at the deep orange scales of his suit.
"I am indeed king of Atlantis," he explained, slowly, "But I was appointed by Perseus's father, who rules the entirety of the ocean."
"So you knew about this too!" Barry Allen gaped, hands flat against the table as he lifted off his chair.
"I believe this can all be discussed at a later time, details of such wars included," J'onn J'onzz rumbled, with a firm look that made Barry sit back down, "The purpose of this meeting is Perseus's induction."
Finally, seemingly back on track, Dick spoke up, taking a step forward to be in line with her.
"I'm acting as her sponsor. I know Wonder Woman and Aquaman have known her longer, but we've fought together for the last few months, taking down Blockbuster and other Bludhaven criminals, and I believe she'd make a great addition to my team."
"With the other graduated proteges such as Superboy and Artemis?" Dinah clarified, and Dick nodded.
"Perseus," Bruce continued, "Please list your abilities for the record."
Percy faltered, glancing at him. "All of them, or..."
"Only the major ones are necessary for now."
"Okay, I can control water, that's the main one," she started, frowning absently as she thought, "Hurricanes too, and earthquakes, but only sometimes. I'm stronger than regular mortals, but not as strong as Diana, and I'm good with a sword."
"She can also talk to fish," Dick couldn't help but add, and Percy shot him a look.
Oliver mouthed the word 'hurricanes' to himself with a bewildered crease in his crow.
"Control water?" Superman tilted his head, "In what sense?"
Percy smirked. Immediately, Hal's water bottle flew from the table and into her grip. She untwisted the cap, and let the liquid float out like a snake, winding its way around their heads until it reached Arthur and splattered into his hair.
The man barely reacted, blinking tiredly, as though he knew she had planned that all along. Beside him, Katar Hol made a face, shifting his wings away from the dripping water like a ruffled cat.
"What happened to no powers at the council table?" Hal grumbled, crossing his arms and looking at Bruce.
Bruce glanced over, unamused.
"It was a demonstration."
Dick smothered a laugh. And to think Percy was worried about him not liking her.
Dinah rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat, looking mostly at the big three leaguers. "Are we ready to put this to a vote then?"
Percy stiffened in anticipation, but as soon as the hands went up in quick succession, nearly all of them, she turned to Dick with an excited grin.
"I told you," he whispered, then smirked, knowing that nearly half of the room had some sort of enhanced hearing ability, "Just some guys in tights."
LINEBREAK
After all of the other leaguers had dispersed back to their own missions or personal responsibilities save for the big three—that comparison made her laugh every time—Percy was talking to Superman about the details of demigod lives. The man was intensely concerned about their ongoing fight with monsters and their previous struggles with titans and giants, and Percy was trying to answer as many questions as she could, but all she could think about was how spot-on they had been with the Jason comparison.
She glanced over, looking for Dick, because he had disappeared at some point, and found him at the other end of Diana's stern glare. Her cousin had her hands on her hips, fingers itching toward her lasso. Percy startled, coughing out an apology to Superman for interrupting him, and started to stride over to save Dick from whatever Diana had planned, but a dark shadow blocked her path.
Batman tilted his head, cape swaying slightly, and regarded her in silence for a few seconds.
"I need to speak with you."
Percy frowned. "Again? I thought shovel talks were one per person."
His mouth twitched, almost like he was smiling but no visible humor came across.
"This is a different matter," he said, then swept towards the exit gracefully.
Percy flicked her eyes toward Dick for a second, but he seemed not to be in any imminent danger, so she followed Batman out the door. He led her to a nearby room, metal doors hissing open and closed automatically. When they entered, Percy found Black Canary waiting inside.
She blinked, confused, but the woman held out a hand and Percy found herself shaking it automatically.
"Call me Dinah," Canary smiled.
Percy nodded, still a little lost. Before she could respond, Batman continued.
"Dinah works as a trainer for the younger members of the league. She taught Nightwing and the rest of his peers and now oversees the sessions for recruits in Robin's age group."
"I'm also their therapist, for any mission and non-mission-related problems, as well as a full-time member of the league," Dinah explained.
"That's cool. Sounds like you've got a pretty full plate," Percy replied, scratching her head, "I don't mind if you're too busy to train me too, I've been good so far."
Dinah looked highly amused, pale eyes shining. "I am being stretched quite thin, which is exactly what this is about. I'm looking to pass off one of my titles."
"Oh, so then who's training me?" Percy asked, furrowing her brow.
Batman let out a short sigh, catching her attention. With so much of his face covered and body language fully controlled, it was so hard to figure out what he was thinking.
"Dinah is," he said, sending Percy into another bout of confusion, "But not to fight. That will be part of it, yes, but if you accept the offer, you will become her apprentice, of sorts."
"You're not making any sense," Percy outright said, and Batman's resulting mouth twitchiness was still indecipherable.
"I saw you with Robin," Batman explained, "You knew exactly how hard to push him, when to stop, and how to handle his emotions after the fight. I believe you have what it takes to be a trainer."
Percy's eyes went wide, finally understanding what he was trying to do.
"I'll show you the ropes for a while, and when I think you're ready, I'll let you take over," Dinah continued, smile growing at her astonishment.
"You want me to teach?" Percy confirmed, "Like teach the younger heroes to fight?"
Batman nodded.
"If that's what you want," Dinah replied.
Percy gaped. She never thought this was where her life would take her. She had taught at camp for years, and loved it, but never expected herself to be able to turn that into some sort of actual job. Now the opportunity was staring at her in the face, in the form of a large shadowy man that could have been smiling but probably wasn't.
"Yes," she said, instantly, "Yes, I want to. When do I start?"
"Take about a week to get settled in and meet the others," Dinah offered, "Then you can start sitting in on our training sessions."
"I can do that," she nodded, excitedly, "I just—I'll be right back."
Percy turned and dashed out of the room, the doors just barely having enough time to automatically open before she hit them. Skidding into the main council room, she saw Diana still interrogating Dick with the lasso of truth wrapped around his wrist.
"Where were you?" he frowned, looking over at her.
Percy threw her arms around his neck, nearly making him stumble. Dick clutched at her torso, hugging her back, though she could hear the confusion in the surprised grunt he let out.
"He offered me a job," Percy said, grinning when she pulled back, "Dinah's gonna teach me to be a league trainer."
"Wait, seriously?" he asked, mouth open in surprise, "B did?"
She nodded, feeling his arms tighten around her waist. "I have to be her apprentice first, but eventually yeah."
"I'm so happy for you," Dick smiled affectionately, "You're gonna be great, I mean Robin already listens to you, and he's the prickliest out of all the kids."
"I'm a little worried about my hand-to-hand skills though. Can you show me those takedowns you were talking about before I start?"
"Yeah of course," he agreed, "I've got a room with mats at my apartment we can use."
She frowned. "Wouldn't the cave be easier? It's got more space."
"Yeah, but I really don't want the others around, knowing how I'm gonna react when you're on top of me—" Dick's mouth snapped shut as a deep red hue bloomed in his cheeks.
Percy felt her face grow hot, finally getting why he had brushed her off the first time and finding herself not able to disagree with his statement.
"Oops," Diana smirked viciously, and flicked her wrist.
The lasso of truth unraveled from Dick's arm as he was jerked away from Percy and returned to its owner, who wrapped it back up. Percy turned her head to see Superman looking incredibly pained, before floating out of the room as both Batman and Dinah came in.
"We really are bad at this friends thing," Dick muttered, still pink.
"Who's we?" Percy shot back, "You're the one who said it."
"You hugged me first," he argued.
"Friends hug!"
"Not like that," Diana cut in, looking so deeply amused that Percy was going to drop a lake on her the next chance she got.
"Nightwing," Batman barked out, making the hero in question grimace, "The league has no rules against dating coworkers, but let me remind you that seminars on sexual harassment and appropriate public displays of affection are mandatory for all—"
"Okay, we're leaving," Dick announced loudly, to drown out the rest of that sentence.
He grabbed Percy's hand, and she let herself be dragged out, laughing at his embarrassment. As the door slid shut following their exit, this time, the strange shape Batman's mouth took on was undeniably a smile.
A.N.
one more chapter left!
let me know if you guys enjoyed this one <3
them deciding Perseus and Nightwing need to publicly stay friends and then just being so fucking bad at acting like it LMFAO